Pull of Water
by Ephrai
Summary: One-shot about a quiet evening after Ganon's defeat. Link and Zelda spend an evening by Lake Hylia, enjoying each other's company and the silence that ensues when Navi finally tires herself out. Light Fluff for you romanticists. Enjoy.


As Link lay in the grass, sprawled as close to nowhere as he could manage, (no one really got lost in Hyrule; there was only so far you could go) he let his mind drift to his homeland. The forest first, the big trees growing forever towards the sky with the small inhabitants smiling and going about their eternal business. He missed them. He even missed Mido, though he was as close to hating him than anyone else (excluding Ganon, of course). Saria's gentle smile reverberated about his head, then faded to the green of the Deku tree's area. As close to a father as anyone got to the Kokiri people, Link smiled, his eyes closed.

That death had been particularly difficult. Individually, each corner of Hyrule made it's way into his head, though for reasons unknown to him, his mind seemed to press quite harshly Lake Hylia. _Why?_ He had been trying to avoid the lake, even in thinking moments; thinking of Ruto always made his stomach churn and his breakfast threaten to expel itself everywhere. It wasn't as if she or her race were the cause exactly. It was more the evident thought of marrying her that made him feel ill.

Giving in to the lake itself, he saw himself sitting on the leg next to the lakeside Observatory, gazing blankly at the water lapping lazily against the shore. He ignored, even internally the fishing hole, simply because it had caused him enough strife. He wasn't the best fisherman and his only entertainment was stealing the owner's hat. He felt as he gazed at the shore, that he knew it so well he could see each stone, some wet and shining as the sun shone playfully down, some more dull in comparison, though somehow equally calming. He gave a soft sigh as he scratched at his head. Unsurprisingly Navi was not included in this daydream; she only caused more strife in his already raucous life and he didn't need more of it from her. His memorization was semi-flawless and as his eyes wandered down the shore he reached the scarecrows and wished he could remove them from his mind as well. Helpful as they could be (provided he could remember whatever jumble noted song he gave them) they had a tendency to cause him nightmares and usually showed up in them right next to redeads. He opened his eyes, listening to the calming sound of the wind blowing in the fields.

He was increasingly glad that the stalchildren that had stalked him every night he wasn't fast enough to get into town were no longer something that haunted his adult life. His thoughts began wondering again, this time to the desert and eventually to Twinrova and the wink that had kept him awake for a few days after they had died. Why most of the women he came across seemed so attached to him, he didn't know. Frankly, he didn't care. The one he cared about most was, unfortunately, exceptionally busy with royal duties and he rarely saw her. He frowned and sat up in the tall grass, Navi for once silent and content to listen instead of talk. He couldn't exactly get rid of her. How would he find her if he somehow, for some unheard of reason, needed her? No, not possible. A thought passed his head and he silently grinned at his stupidity. _Instead of dreaming, why not just go visit the lake, since I seem so keen on thinking about it?_ He thought and shook his head. No reason to not have thought of it before.

Standing he dug around for a few moments, searching a satchel he kept around his neck for the Ocarina. As he fished it out, Navi floated up and landed on his head, knowing full well that such actions meant further adventuring. It was only then that he realized that the hyper active fairy had actually gotten tired. Smiling to himself, he stroked the smoothness of the instrument with affection and raised it to his lips. The serenade that calmed his spirit and pulled him to the shores his mind so fervently wished to see, he arrived and took a deep breath, looking around. Almost at once it struck him why he wanted to go there; the sun was setting, the waters calm, and none other than Princess Zelda sat on the far shore with her bare feet in the water, smiling at nothing.

He practically took off running to her, but instead slowly began the walk over to her, across the bridges while waving in silent attempts to get her attention. Her mind must have been elsewhere, for she never once looked up or around, simply down at the gentle waves that caressed her feet. As he approached her, his steps gave him away and she finally noticed him. To his extreme joy and embarrassment, her smile grew bigger and she patted the sand next to her. Only up close did he realize that she was much closer to the pull of water than he had thought initially and the hem of her elegant dress was very much wet.

As he pulled off his boots, he looked at her inquisitively, gesturing vaguely to her dress. Words weren't quite needed yet. She shrugged and splashed her feet fiercely into the water, spraying them both with water. His smile grew as big as hers and he scooted closer to her, both calming to enjoy the rest of the orange light that graced Lake Hylia with it's glow. Navi had long since fallen asleep on his head (still attached somehow and showing no signs of falling off). He reached up and took her gently in his hand, placing her in the grass further out of reach of the water that could threaten to pull her away. Zelda smiled at his sincerity, taking his hand with shyness as he set it down to support himself. He smiled softly and she finally made a noise, a soft cooing noise that signaled her contentment.

"Rough day?" He stated finally, his voice soft from his own break from the insanity of his job. Zelda nodded thoughtfully before answering, hand squeezing his.

"Just long." She replied and he nodded back. He knew how that felt.

"I knew you'd come here." She stated suddenly, glancing at him with a small smile and his lips pulled into a playful smile.

"I couldn't get it out of my head." A light laugh echoed along the shore as she splashed her feet in the water again.

"I'm glad." A pleasant silence descended upon them and they let the joy of each other's company fill the empty space of long days without the other present. Zelda's head slowly lowered onto his shoulder and both remained there for a long time without speaking. What were words in the love of another's company? The princess again broke the silence, but softly, as if a loud noise would shatter the moment.

"I missed you."

Link smiled, sighing with content and kissed her head with a huge sense of adoration.

"I did too." Her smile again matched his and she looked up at him with tired eyes. In one lucid motion, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, both putting their emotions into a kiss that would keep them strong while apart until another distant urge would bring them together again. They parted, the kiss to any unknown outside viewer as simple as the silence. Her head fell to his shoulder again and she was soon asleep, her quiet breathing leaving him that much calmer, that much stronger, and that much more fulfilled than before. For once he didn't feel too busy. For once he felt that if he laid down in the grass, he wouldn't dream of the undead. Of the scarecrows that danced promiscuously about wherever they went (however they went). Of creepy old women that winked at him, even after death. Of too forward fish girls that forced marriage on boys about ten. For once, he could sleep in the grass with the one girl he cared about more than anything else in the world.


End file.
